


The Fantastic Plausibility

by supernaturalsimply



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Car Accidents, College Student Sam, Cop Gabriel, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-09
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-09-07 11:36:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8799388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supernaturalsimply/pseuds/supernaturalsimply
Summary: Just when it seems like the whole world is against Sam Winchester, he wraps his car around a tree. Then the world throws a charming cop who calls himself Gabriel his way and he finds that just maybe it'll be worth it after all.





	

_**The Fantastic** **Plausibility** _

“Will you _please_ stop laughing? You’re a cop. You’re supposed to _help_ people,” Sam pleaded, tiredly running a hand through his mess of uncombed hair.

                He was well aware that he had to look terribly disheveled. Coarse stubble coated his jaw, dark circles ringed his eyes, and his faded clothing was wrinkled and well in need of a wash. Sam consciously shoved calloused hands into holey pockets, but he didn't turn his gaze away from the man.

                Still, no matter what he did, it seemed to encourage the man’s amusement. Even when he quit laughing aloud, it still laughed in his eyes. Sam would’ve been lying if he said his cheer wasn’t contagious, but he held his own amusement back. He was kind of screwed, after all. The car he had was an old rusted Honda he’d gotten off a shady Craigslist listing, but it was all he had. His wallet was thin and without insurance, he might as well have tossed what he had into a fire.

                At least he wasn’t hurt. Of course, his neck had to chime in when he turned to the talking man, sounding with a violent pop that stars flying across his vision.

“Alright. Alright. Is the, uh, _instigator_ still present in the car?”

“Yes,” he uttered through gritted teeth, trying to quell his annoyance the best he could.

                His eyes gleamed and Sam kind of wanted to smack the smile off his face. He was a bit below average in height, but the distance of almost a foot between them made him seem even tinier next to Sam’s hulking figure. Golden eyes held him to a higher degree of intelligence and thoughtfulness than most and tousled chestnut hair crept just below the nape of his neck.

                Gabriel wore the familiar blue uniform, though it was more creased than most and had a dash of something that was either cocaine or powdered sugar. Lollipop sticks hung out his breast pocket where pens likely should’ve been. A nametag slapped across his chest read _Gabriel Novak_ scrawled in spidery handwriting.

                Sam only realized he was staring when his eyes at last wandered back to Gabriel’s face, where golden eyes had locked onto his own. He mumbled out a quick apology, jerking his head downwards to his feet.

                He moved past Sam, each step sounding with the quiet crinkle of cellophane from somewhere within his pants pockets. He’d almost opened the door when Sam shot out his arm to grab his wrist.

“Wait. Aren’t you supposed to call Animal Control or something?”

“Who do you think’s working the phones during the graveyard shift, kiddo?”

“I don’t know. But it could be rabid or something. I mean-,”

“Cool it, Stephen King. What can a two-pound rodent do?”

                Sam made a distressed sound as he signaled to his smoking car which in its current state was wrapped around a telephone pole just on the brink of tipping over. Gabriel ignored his meager protests, opening the door. On the floorboards of the back seat sat a living, albeit stunned, squirrel.

“Sorry, buddy,” Gabriel declared, reaching out to pluck it by the tail.

                This was probably breaking protocol in like twenty ways. Great. In addition to totaling his car, he’d probably get a ticket of some kind too.

“See? Not so threatening now, huh?”

                Sam genuinely couldn’t tell whether or not he was being mocked. Of course, his lack of social aptitude probably had something to do with the growing interval between his last cup of coffee and the last time he’d slept.

“How’d our furry friend over there even end up in your car?”

“I don’t know,” Sam lied, before his brow creased with concentration. A lifetime of lies had led them to pour from his lips like an open faucet. He amended his state with a sheepish, “Well, I mean I do. I kind of left the sunroof open.”

“Why?”

“It’s not my fault! I mean, it got stuck open. What was I supposed to do? I mean, I can’t get a new car. I didn’t expect a rodent to fall through the roof.”

                It hadn’t seemed like such a horrible idea earlier. Now, of course, the sun had long since retired beneath the horizon. There were only the barest scratches of wispy grey clouds across the inky sky. A sliver of a moon seemed to single him out, smiling mockingly down upon him. Sam shivered, his exposed skin prickling with cold as summer gave way to fall. He reached into his still-smoking car and pulled out his abandoned flannel, pulling it onto his bare arms.

“Guess that guy’s a couple acorns short of an oak tree,” Gabriel remarked from behind him.

                Sam did not find that amusing, if his deadpan expression was anything to go by.

“Anyone you want to contact? Mom? Dad? Girlfriend?”

                Sam briefly thought of Dean. Last he’d heard, he was still busy living the lonesome cowboy dream. Of course, that’d been more than a year ago. He didn’t even know whether the number he had for him even worked anymore. If his dad was even still alive, he’d be snoring off a bottle of tequila in some shady motel room if his track record was to be trusted.

“No one. Just me.”

                If he’d caught the snag in Sam’s voice, he was kind enough not to point it out.

“Alright. I’m getting a lone wolf vibe from you. I can dig it,” he shrugged. “Well, I don’t think either of us want to stand out here chatting in the cold all night. Coffee?”

“At two in the morning?”

“You’re a college student. I’m a cop. Coffee brings us together. Besides, I know a place.”

                That was how Sam ended up in a Starbucks with a cop, a man who once had been the bane of his existence. But he’d hidden himself too well for Gabriel to see past his mask and the life he’d lived before he’d ran off to Stanford wasn’t one he planned on rehashing anytime soon. He could stay around his cop long enough to give a witness statement.

                And when the conversation went as well as this one had, apparently he could do so for hours longer. Maybe part of that had something to do with knowing it’d been months since he’d had a real conversation. Years since he’d met someone so interesting.

                And maybe Sam had a _completely_ objective appreciation of Gabriel. He was plenty attractive and Sam’s intellectual equal, despite the vastly different ways in which they saw the world. Sam was platonically interested in anything he might have to offer. And because of said platonic appreciation, he definitely wasn’t reading into the way the distance between them had gradually evaporated or the _nonexistent_ tingle from light brushes of his hand against his own.

                Yeah, he was lonely. He had been ever since he’d first learned what the feeling meant. He’d long since suspected he always would be, but this was a fresh start. Maybe he could change things. He just wasn’t sure how.

                Of course, it came to an end by the time the sun had begun creeping over the horizon as Gabriel silently realized his shift had ended more than an hour ago. The barista had long since given up on glaring at them and retired to the storeroom to take inventory and between them, seven emptied cups laid on the table. That was without counting the triple redeye Sam was currently nursing and the Americano he was still chugging down.

“Alright, well, I’ve held you up long enough,” he said, which really meant that he’d suddenly realized he’d just finished a double shift on three hours of sleep, powdered sugar donuts, assorted candy, and about a gallon of coffee and, wow, that was probably unhealthy. “Where you headed?”

“Uh, the dorms. On the east side of campus,” Sam answered.

                He swayed some when he stood, prompting Gabriel to reach over and grab his arm to steady him. He was fairly sure he managed to keep the surprise off his face. What was up with this kid? Did he use books as barbells instead of reading them or something?

“So you’re a student. What’re you studying?”

The cop only asked because he was half-certain that the answer would be woodworking. Specifically, the art of lumberjacking. He even had the fashion style down.

“I’m a pre-law major,” he responded, pride filling his eyes with something a little like sadness beneath that.

                Smart and attractive. Kid had it made. Gabriel let out an exhale that was something like a laugh, letting go of Sam’s arm as they made the way back to his car. This time, he opened the door to the front seat.

“Smart kid, huh? Sounds pretty promising. You here on a scholarship?”

“Yeah. Full ride,” he answered.

“Even better. You wouldn’t believe how many kids I’ve got to deal with who think they’re all that just because their daddy makes them enough to pay their way out of any trouble.”

                Sam almost pointed at that at least they had parents. He held his tongue, not wanting to seem self-pitying.

“God knows my family could’ve used that attitude,” Gabriel grumbled a moment later, giving a dramatic roll of his eyes.

“What’s yours like?”

“Spoiled. Dramatic. Somewhere between the cast of Jersey Shore and the Kardashians. Don’t get me wrong, they’re my family and I love them, but you can only take so much. So I packed up everything I had that wasn’t nailed and went with the wind. Ended up here. They didn’t approve, of course, but it wasn’t their decision to make.”

                 Sam processed that a few moments. After some thought, he answered.

“I left, too. I know what it’s like.”

                 He was pretty sure Gabriel smiled, though it wasn’t one completely composed of happiness. Before any more could be said, they’d pulled up to the curb outside his dorm. Gabriel reclined in his seat, craning his neck to Sam.

“Alright, well, you know the speech. Don’t do drugs, don’t drink and drive, all that boring stuff. Keep clean or you’ll be seeing more of me than you’d like.” He paused, mulling over whether he had anything else to add. His mind chimed in just in time that he could do something more. He grabbed a piece of paper, scrawling his number on it and shoving it to Sam. “And here. You ever get into any trouble, just call me.”

                It was the least he could do for a kid that didn’t have any kind of family. Gabriel knew well enough he’d be calling his friends if he ever got into any trouble of his own. His family probably wouldn’t even pick up if they knew it was him calling. For all he knew, Sam didn’t even have that.

                Sam dutifully nodded. He looked almost guilty, standing there at the curb.

“Yeah, thanks for all this. Uh, there’s not much I can do for you,” he replied, something sheepish reaching his smile.

“I’m not a cop for handouts, Sasquatch.”

                The nickname got him a smile, brief and fleeting as it was.

“I guess so. I still owe you coffee, don’t I?” Sam protested.

                Gabriel’s lips quirked into a grin. Maybe, maybe…

“If you want to pay me back that badly, you could always buy me a cup next week,” he offered, not quite mature enough to avoid adding in a wink.

                Sam blinked. He hadn’t expected it to go quite like that. He was fairly sure he looked amusingly surprised- or maybe it was the prolonged questioning sound that fell from his lips- but Gabriel chuckled.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to spring that on you. You’re dorky and sweet. And as the most socially competent Novak brother, I can say fairly confidently that you were probably flirting with me. So why not make a go out of it?”

                He unwrapped a lollipop, shoving it into the side of his mouth, looking casual and unconcerned as he could be. Sam’s heart did a flip in his chest.

“Alright. Alright. But you might have to pick me up,” he answered, a slow grin crossing his face.

“Yeah, about that... I’ll call down the compound and see what I can do about finding you a new ride.”

“Now you’re just bribing me.”

“Is it working?”

“Must be.”

                Sam grinned.

“See you next week,” Gabriel called after him.

                It’s far from the last time they see each other.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Here's something I wrote a couple of weeks ago and just now got around to publishing. Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments are much appreciated :)


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